Parfait Club Tenth Meeting

Location: ポムの樹 (Pomme no Ki)
Members present: Kelly R., Kristin, Kelly O., Owen
Parfaits tried:
Chocola-brownie ¥472
Cheesecake and berry parfait ¥472
BIG Chocolate parfait ¥819
BIG Pudding parfait ¥819

Ingredients:
Shokola(chocolate)-brownie--chocolate syrup, walnit pieces, brownies with walnuts, whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, more brownies, fruit salad (cherries, pear, mikan), corn flakes, more chocolate syrup

Cheesecake and berry parfait--blueberries, pears, peaches, whipped cream, cheesecake pieces, strawberry syrup, vanilla ice cream, cornflakes

BIG Chocolate parfait--vanilla softserve, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, wafer cone, filled with ice cream, BIG pineapple slice (plus leaf), cherry, peach slices, cereal, fruit mix at the bottom

BIG Pudding parfait--pudding, vanilla ice cream, pineapple, fruties, whipped cream, cone

Reviews:
Kelly R.--Chocola-brownie. Here's a surprise coming from me: the whipped cream was delicious and there was just enough. The brownies were also excellent. The fruit would have been better if it were fresh rather than from a can. The chocolate syrup at the bottom made the cornflakes too soggy. Overall, the top half was delicious, while the bottom half was disappointing.

Kristin--Cheesecake and berry. A good size and at a great price! The blueberries were great and fruit other than tangerine was a fun change. The cheesecake was Japanese style and spongey. Not to my taste, as I am more attracted to New York Style. However, it was a sweet and filling treat. The restaurant offers a nonsmoking section and has a friendly atmosphere. Sophisticated, but not too stuffy.

Kelly O.--BIG Chocolate Parfait. If I had known it was that big, I probably wouldn't have tried to take it on by myself. Still, I'm kind of glad that I did. ^.^ The fruit was very fresh, and the ice cream was pretty good. I dunno. It was amazing in quantity-over-quality sort of way.

Owen--BIG Pudding Parfait. This parfait was ok and big. If you want more than that, go someplace else.

Independent Parfait 2 + Guest Blogger

Location: TEA Cool, 天文館、Kagoshima
Members present: Kelly R., guest blogger Wayne
Parfaits tried:
Chocolate Parfait ¥550
Banana Parfait ¥600

Ingredients:
Chocolate Parfait--pear, chocolate pudding, mikan, 1 slice kiwi, vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup

Banana Parfait--bananas, mikan, whipped cream dollops, 1 slice kiwi, chocolate syrup, vanilla ice cream

Reviews:
Kelly R.--Chocolate Parfait. The fruit has a good flavor. The chocolate syrup is not very good. The dollops of chocolate pudding are tasty. The vanilla ice cream is very sweet--more like a pudding flavor than ice cream. After the layer of fruit, it is basically just vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup all over, and not very good.

Wayne--The kiwi is teeny and tart. The bananas are generous but the chocolate sauce does not combine well with them. There were ice crystals in the ice cream. It is too small a parfait for ¥600. After waiting for months for this guest parfait, it is a major disappointment. The chocolate sauce is just ordinary Hershey's, there is a lack of ingredients and surprises and layers, and just ordinary vanilla ice cream. This parfait was a dud. I wouldn't want it again even if it was free. By contrast, the display parfaits have bountiful fresh fruit in vibrant colors, bursting up and over the top and sides, layered in a festive display of joy.

Parfait Club Ninth Meeting

Location: ST☆R, near Teramachi-dori, Kyoto
Members present: Kelly R., Owen, Kelly O., Kristin
Parfait tried: 1 Crazy Big Parfait ¥3680 (split 4 ways)
Ingredients: Vanilla/strawberry swirl softserve, corn flakes, whipped cream, berry syrup, strawberries, 3 waffle cones, 3 giant matcha pocky.

Reviews:
Kelly R.--Amazing! Not the best ice cream quality of the bunch, but a good combo of flavors. Worth it even just to see the thing in all its glory.

Owen--What are you doing reading this? Go get one now!!

Kelly O.--Recipie: Take God. Put him in a bowl. Top with strawberries. Stab with spoon. Seriously, this was quite possibly the most amazing thing I've ever eaten. The ice cream was just plain softserve, but in this case, I think quantity is an acceptable substitute for quality.

Kristin--I am completely full and suffering from too much sugar--and it was fun! I feel accomplished for some reason, and the parfait itself was pretty tasty (even had that good cereal crunch at the end). Fast service and in a good area of Kyoto for shopping. Take your friends (at least four of you)!

Break Time!

This week we took a break from parfaits and got specialty frozen drinks instead. Why the break? Well, we all had various appointments to keep, and were already a good month behind in updating our reviews, so we decided to make it a catch-up day. We did, however, still write reviews! Today's post is our thoughts on the freezy drinks we purchased.

Location: Kansai Gaidai Campus--McDonald's and Seattle's Best Coffee
Members present: Owen, Kelly O., Kelly R., Kristin
Parfaits Drinks tried:
3 マクド Matcha McFlurry
1 Seabest Strawberry Yogurt Javakūla

Ingredients:
Matcha McFlurry--Vanilla ice cream with green tea... mix... stuff... and Oreos.
Strawberry Yogurt Javakula--Strawberries, frozen yogurt, yummy things.

Reviews:
Owen--Matcha McFlurry: It's sweet. Other than that I could leave it.

Kelly O.--Matcha McFlurry: They really should bring this "limited time flavor" thing to the States. The McFlurry itself is definitely not very high quality (even in Japan!), but it's still very exciting to try the new flavors.

Kelly R.--Strawberry Yogurt Javakula: Not a parfait! But delicious! Very good flavor, and it's nice that they left in the bits of whole strawberry. Back to proper parfaits next week!

Kristin--The oreos were neccessary! Without them it would have been boring. It tastes just like green tea ice cream.

Parfait Club Eighth Meeting

Location: Hirakatashi Station
Members present: Owen, Kelly O., Kelly R., Kristin
Parfaits tried:
1 Chocolate Pail (split) ¥880
1 Strawberry Pail (split) ¥880

Ingredients:
Chocolate Pail--Chocolate syrup (and lots of it!), vanilla softserve, whipped cream, banana, fruit-salad-type fruits, corn flakes. Topped with an ice cream cone and a cherry. (hoshii)

Strawberry Pail--Strawberry syrup, soft serve, whipped cream, strawberries, corn flakes, melty vanilla ice cream, strawberry juice, and more strawberry pieces on the botton.

Reviews:
Owen--Chocolate Pail: If God was to have a Parfait, this would be it.

Kelly O.--Chocolate Pail: My only regret is that I did not try to take it on by myself. Also, because it's so big, it was very melty but the time we finished. Still, the ingredients were well-balanced and good quality. I'll have to go back for my own.

Kelly R.--Strawberry Pail: Absolutely delicious. Good quality ice cream, good quality fruit, plus a nice contrast of crunch under the first layer, and mixed into the really melty ice cream. It was the perfect size and price to split between two people.

Kristin--Strawberry Pail: I want to go back! Good price for its size, and the size is excitingly enormous (but still small enough to eat on your own). I loved the strawberries. Good parfait to split two ways. It was kind of soggy because it took a while to make, but still delicious.

Parfait Club Seventh Meeting

[Photo coming soon]
Location: Jyankara (Jumbo Karaoke), Hirakata
Members present: Kelly O., Owen, Kelly R., Kristin
Parfaits tried:
1 Ice Mango Parfait ¥380
2 Yoku Bari Chocolate Caramel Nuts ¥380
1 Chocolate Manhattan ¥380

Ingredients:
Ice Mango Parfait--Whipped cream, frozen mango bubes, chocolate cookie, mango ice cream, vanilla ice cream, mango syrup, corn flakes, and more vanilla ice cream on the bottom.
Yoku Bari Chocolate Caramel Nuts--Chocolate cookie, cream puff, chocolate syrup, whipped topping, chocolate ice cream, cream puff, pecans, walnuts, chocolate corn flakes, caramel syrup, vanilla ice cream.
Chocolate Manhattan--Chocolate cookie, chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup, chocolate powder, chocolate-covered corn flakes, caramel syrup, vanilla ice cream.

Reviews:
Kelly O.--Yoku Bari Chocolate Caramel Nuts: An excellent combination--chocolate, caramel, and nuts, yummy! Plus the price was perfect. ^.^ Very crunch, too, which was nice, and the cream puff whas a nice addition. My only complaint: It should have been bigger!

Owen--Chocolate Manhattan: The chocolate in this parfait was nice. However, the corn flakes were a bit much and coule have done better with more ice cream.

Kelly R.--Ice Mango Parfait: The flavor was so-so. The whipped cream was too sweet. The mango was tasty but not the best. Fun to have during karaoke, and cheap, but don't go there just for the parfait.

Kristin--Yoku Bari Chocolate Caramel Nuts: This was such an exciting parfait! There was a cream puff on top and crunch, savory nuts that gave it such a rich contrast. It had corn flakes and a good amount of ice cream. Good price! Great to go along with Karaoke. ^_^

Parfait Club Sixth Meeting

[Photo coming soon]
Location: Anonymous cafe near Makino station
Members present: Kelly O., Owen, Kelly R., Kristin
Parfaits tried:
1 Banana Royal ¥530
1 Chocolate Parfait ¥530
2 Fruit Parfait ¥530

Ingredients:
Banana Royal--1 banana, 1 slice kiwi, 1 slice pear, 1 fig. Vanilla ice cream scoop. All topped with whipped cream.
Chocolate Parfait--Cherry, banana, pear, apple, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce on top. Vanilla ice cream more whipped cream in the middle. More pear, mandarin oranges, and something that may have been melon syrup at the bottom.
Fruit Parfait--Cherry, banana, bear, apple, whipped cream on top. Vanilla ice cream scoop with fruit sauce and pear in the middle. Mandarin oranges on bottom.

Reviews:
Kelly O.--Chocolate parfait: I liked that there3 were a lot of different kinds of fruit, and the melon syrup was interesting, but it definitely needed some crunch. Also, it wasn't very chocolatey--the only real differece between this and thr fruit parfait was a tiny amount of chocolate sauce. Still, iw was a quaint littls place, close to home, very cozy. I would like to go back and thry their other tasties. <3

Owen--Fruit Parfait: This was by far the best usage of fruit in a parfait I have come across.

Kelly R.--Banana was yummy. Pear was more yummy. Kiwi was most yummy. Ice cream pretty good too. Not quite worth the price.

Kristin--The pear was new and tasty, but it did not taste fresh--it was sugary from canned syrup, which tastes too candy-like for me. It was a good price, however, so I would get it again. I just wish it had some crunch.

Unofficial Meeting 2

Location: Bom Dia, Hiroshima station, Hiroshima
Members present: Kristin, Kelly R.
Parfaits tried:
1 Chocolate Brownie Parfait ¥530
1 Fruits Yogurt Parfait ¥530

Ingredients:
Chocolate Brownie--On the top layer was both chocolate and vanilla ice cream, a small amount of whipped cream and chocolate syrup, and also several slives of brownie. A chunk of pineapple adorns the top with a mnt leaf. Below this layer is a chocolate cereal and then more ic cream. On the bottom is a layer of coffee and jelly cubes.
Fruits Yogurt--Mango, banana, kiwi, and orange slices surrounding vanilla softserve with strawberry syrup on top. Second layer was corn flakes, and yogurt and strawberry jam at the bottom.

Reviews:
Kristin--Chocolate brownie. I found the contrast in the parfait to be amazing. Finally something with crunch, cream, and something special--the jelly cubes were fantastic! I also thought the coffee taste at the bottom was unique and fit well. It was a good size for a good price. The brownies were also very good--not too crispy, but not soggy, either.

Kelly--I had the fruits yogurt parfait. It was absolutely the best one I've had so far as part of this club. The fruit was all fresh except for the mango, which was frozen. The parfait was presented beautifully and contained a wonderful mix of flavors. Corn flakes in the middle provide a nice change of texture, and the yogurt at the bottom was a wonderful way to end. It had just enough sweetness when eaten together with the strawberry jam, while at the same time not being overly sugary, so it leaves your pallate refreshed and cool.

Independent Parfait 1

Location: Tottori--Cafe in Covered Shopping Arcade
Members present: Kelly O.
Parfaits tried: Mocha Parfait ¥480
Ingredients: Whipped cream with cherry, wafer tube sticks, vanilla ice cream, mocha-flavored jelly cubes, pineapple, banana, kiwi, mandarin orange.

Review:
The parfait itself was only so-so, I thought. The big problem was just with the jelly-cubes, though. There were somewhat icy, and I'm not sure that I was crazy about that particular combination of textures. The fruit, however, was very good--fresh-tasting, not watery, and delicious. The did have a fruits parfait, too, so maybe that would be preferable.

Parfait Club Fifth Meeting

Location: Tea Room, Shinsekai, Osaka
Members present: Kelly O., Kelly R., Kristin
Parfaits tried: 3 Choco-fruits ¥740
Ingredients:
Cherry, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate syrup, pineapple, kiwi and banana on top. Whipped cream and chocolate in the middle. Citrus fruit on the bottom.

Reviews:
Kristin--I am normally very fond of a lot of whipped topping, but this one had way too much, especially when it was mixed with the rich, chocolate syrup. I would have preferred more ice cream. The bottom was also very watery due to the fruit, and I missed have anything crunchy or particularly interesting in the middle. I loved the fruit on the top, however, and the pineapple was a particularly flavorful treat. Other than that, nothing special...and the restaurant itself is again both nonsmoking and smoking together.

Kelly O.--I agree with Kristin that the whipped cream was like whoa, but I thought that it at least had a very good flavor--it didn't give me that tongue-coating sensation that some really thick whipped cream does, but it was still very rich. But yes, more ice cream would have been preferable.
The fruit was really amazing--pineapple! Ohmigoodness! ^.^ I really enjoyed that part. And there was a cherry on top! How cute! It was all very visually-appealing. I wasn't crazy about the mandarins-and-juice at the bottom, though. I dunno, the flavors didn't mesh right for me... plus random parfait-water is yucky. >.<
Being asthmatic and full of allergies to boot, I was not crazy about the lack of smoking segregation. However, I very much enjoyed this parfait, and the cute little sandwiches (including one made with fruit!) beg a return visit. Plus, the lady at the register and the waiter both seemed to think we were very funny. ^.^ They were very nice to us. All-in-all, I'd go back... I'd just try for a seat as far away from the smokers as possible.

Kelly R.--The ice cream and fruit topping portions were delish. However, as you may have gathered by past postings, I am not a fan of loads of whipped cream. The entire middle section was just whipped cream and chocolate mixed together. Not very appealing.

Parfait Club Fourth Meeting

Location: Lawson (convenience store) in Hirakatashi
Members present: Owen, Kristin, Kelly O., Kelly R.
Parfaits tried:
1 Chocolate ¥250
1 Mochi ¥300
2 Cafe Au Lait ¥300
Ingredients:
Chocolate--Chocolate ice cream and vanilla ice cream layered together, topped with chocolate sauce and hazelnut pieces.
Mochi--Mochi flavored ice cream layered with fluffy cream, a single mochi in the middle, caramel(?) sauce, and chocolate chips on the bottom.
Cafe Au Lait--Very simple--a top layer of vanilla ice cream, a middle layer of coffee ice cream, and a bottom layer of vanilla. There were also little pieces of chocolate cookie and chocolate sauce.

Reviews:
Kristin--review of Mochi parfait: A cheap fix when you want a slightly different taste. There was enough there to be content, but lacked that certain interest and delicacy restaurant parfaits have. There was not much contract between any of the layers, and the flavor itself was bland. It was supposed to be mochi...but was a weak attempt.

Kelly O.--review of Cafe Au Lait parfait: Truly the Dairy Queen of parfaits. Lucky for me, I like DQ. ^.^ Though it was very simple fare, I thought that the ice cream was decent and creamy. Also, this is a good choice for someone who just wants an ice cream fix, as they are considerably cheaper than the little thingums of Haagen-Dasz, but they also provide more ice cream. Think about it.

Kelly R.--review of Chocolate parfait: Very, very delicious. It was nice to purchase something cheap for this club for once! The problem is, I can't say this really counts as a parfait. It was labeled as such, but aside from a small crumbling of hazelnut and the slightest drizzle of chocolate sauce, it was just glorified ice cream. Don't get me wrong, this "parfait" was one tasty little cup of chocolate. If you want a quick and cheap fix, go for one of these.

Parfait Club Third Meeting

Location: Estación Café, Basement Floor 1 at Kyoto Station.
Members present: Kristin, Owen, Kelly O., Kelly R.
Parfaits tried:
2 Chocofudge Sundaes ¥700
1 Berry-Berry Parfait ¥730
1 Matcha (green tea) Parfait ¥770
Ingredients:
Chocofudge--Top layer is chocolate ice cream with fudge sauce and chocolate-chip cookies. Under this is a mixture of banana and marshmallow, followed by waffle and vanilla ice cream. The next later is another scoop of chocolate ice cream and slices of banana. The bottom layer was a large piece of waffle soaked in fudge sauce.
Berry-Berry--The top layer is french vanilla ice cream with strawberry syrup and a sample of raspberry, blueberry and an unidentified small sweet red berry. To the side is an adornment of mint. Beneath this layer is a waffle, and beneath that is plain yogurt. The bottom was a final layer of what may have been yuzu.
Matcha--Green tea ice cream, topped with red bean paste, mochi, sweet potato, vanilla ice cream, waffle, more mochi, and more red bean paste.

Reviews:
Kristin--Regarding the restaurant: The restaurant itself has both smoking and nonsmoking together, and so you may have a problem with allergies. Also, our table rocked back and forth. Otherwise it is clean and seemed friendly. It is very small, so it is bad for large groups. Regarding the parfait: I had the berry parfait, and personally I was a bit disappointed. The ice cream was delicious and rich, but I found that the waffle became soggy, the yogurt was sour in comparison to the sweet fruit topping, ant it lacked a certain crunch. Not enough contrast... but the fruit on top was amazing. I will not be returning here, but I was still glad to eat it.

Kelly R.--I had the chocofudge sundae. The chocolate and vanilla ice cream was absolutely top-notch. The flavors in the rest of the parfait were also good. When I got to the first waffle piece, it was good. By the time I got ot the one at the bottom, it was soggy and less satisfying. The cookies were only so-so. Nothing special--could have been generic out-of-a-bag cookies. Overall, not worth the ¥700. The restaurant had a nice atmosphere except that there is nothing to stop the smoke from the smoking "section" from getting into the non-smoking "section." By the end of the meal, my head was fogged from the smoke. Unpleasant, that.

Owen--I had the grean tea parfait. It had a very Japanese feel to it. The green tea and the red bean parts complement one another very well, both taste and texture. The green tea mochi and rice mochi also added to the distinct Japanese sweets that make up the parfait. However, the vanilla was too sweet, taking away from the Japanese feel.

Kelly O.--Defintely not the best we've encountered thus far. I would have preferred it with more fruit--the bananas, though they go very well with chocolate, don't provide the same satisfying juiciness of berries or somesuch. The waffles were an interesting addition--indeed, I'd love to go back to try the waffles alone--but they didn't work well as a bottom layer. They became soggy and unpleasant. They might have been better on top as a sort of decoration. Overal, it could have use a lot more variety by way of ingredients and flavors. However, it definitely satisfied my chocolate craving--amazing ice cream!

Parfait Club Second Meeting

Location: We couldn't read the kanji. >_>; The restaurant is across the street from the Sun Plaza Hotel in Hirakata-shi. Very Classy.
Members present: Kristin, Owen, Kelly O., Kelly, R.
Parfaits tried:
2 Strawberry Parfaits ¥840 each
2 Chocolate Parfaits ¥840 each
Ingredients:
Strawberry--strawberries, vanilla, chocolate sticks (white and dark chocolate blend), wafers, custard, whipped cream, small piece of chocolate cake, orange slice and strawberry jam at the bottom.
Chocolate--chocolate, bananas, vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, chocolate sticks, custard, flakey pastry of sorts, and an orange at the bottom.
Note--There may also have been a chocolate chip cookie somewhere in there, but only two members noticed it.

Reviews:
Kristin--These parfaits are surprising and enjoyable. Every bite is different. Of course, they are also expensive and can only be afforded on rare occasions. Still, the size and taste is worthy.

Kelly R.--Very delicious. Best enjoyed when eaten slowly so that you notice the differences in every layer of parfait. The setting is classy, with good service. A good place to take a date, or to go when someone else will pay for you! The parfait really was excellent. I did feel a little ill afterwards from the sheer amount of whipped cream.

Owen--This parfait was very, very good. The parfait's layers were each a new and different experience, each with its own flavor. The service is wonderful, and very worth the experience. All and all, these bad boys are to die for!

Kelly O.--A very classy restaurant with very classy parfaits. All of the desserts were edible works-of-art, and the aesthetic value alone was well worth the price. Not to overlook the taste, of course--every bite gave us some different combination of tasted, and each one was amazing. Highly recommended, especially if one wants to feel very high-class for a night. ^.^

A note on the date:
We did this Parfait Quest on a Friday because Kelly R. was going to be out of town that Saturday. However, it still counts as our weekly Quest, and thus it is labelled as a Saturday Parfait.

Parfait Club First Meeting

Location: づぼらや　South of Den Den Town in Osaka, in Osaka Shinsekai. Turn right after the tower.
Members present: Kristin, Owen, Kelly O., Kelly R.
Parfaits tried: 4 Chocolate Parfaits; ¥500 each
Ingredients: Very rich chocolate ice cream, cornflakes, raspberries, pineapple, and whipped cream. Decorated with Pocky and some green candy.

Reviews:
Owen--EPIC PARFAIT!

Kristin--The restaurant itself was nice and roomy, making this a great place for groups!

Kelly O.--A bit more of a sundae than a parfait, but once you start eating, you won't really care. Also, a herd of parfaits is a beautiful sight.

Kelly R.--I would have preferred more raspberries and less whipped cream, but it was still tasty.